Goren saw several hexahedral objects laid out on the counter, each engraved with sealing runes that corresponded to different elemental attributes.
They were clearly mana bombs.
“These are actually mana bombs? Mr. W, you want to sell these?”
“Yes, Boss Goren. I think you have the channels to move them. I’d like to sell the whole batch to you,” Via said. “I don’t care how high you resell them for. Just give me a fair purchase price, and they’re all yours.”
“Let me take a look first.”
Goren picked up one mana bomb and examined it carefully. There was no safety seal from the Mages’ Guild anywhere on it.
This was clearly not a legally circulating product.
“How powerful are these mana bombs?”
“Even a Bronze-rank can use them and produce Silver-rank destructive force. Against common Bronze-rank magical beasts, one is enough for an instant kill. Against Silver-rank beasts, it can deal considerable damage. A few more will be more than enough to finish them off. And since these bombs come in different attributes, they can effectively counter enemies with various elemental resistances.”
Via quickly explained the details.
“You just need to press the runes in a specific order and inject a bit of mana to disarm the safety lock. Then throw it, and it detonates. Even Bronze-rank users can handle them easily.”
“They’re this strong? And the activation method sounds much simpler than the mana bombs I’ve seen before.”
Goren was genuinely surprised.
This power far exceeded anything available on the open market.
Disposable weapons of this destructive level were supposed to be strictly regulated by the Saint Luo Empire and could only be sold after certification by the Mages’ Guild.
Using unlicensed weapons was a violation of imperial law.
Because of control concerns, legally sold mana bombs always had their power deliberately capped.
Yet the bombs brought by the mysterious Mr. W completely ignored those safety limits; they were absolutely illegal controlled items.
Possessing these wasn’t just useful for killing magical beasts. A Bronze-rank with these could kill a Silver-rank opponent. The barrier to entry was terrifyingly low.
Certain high-profile, powerful buyers would definitely be interested.
“Mr. W, if I may ask (where did you get these)? Did you buy them from someone else, or… did you make them yourself?”
“…”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“I made them myself.”
“You really made them yourself?!”
Goren was stunned. How could anyone hand-craft something like this without a proper large-scale magic workshop?
“Yes.”
Via answered calmly, betraying nothing.
There was no need to explain everything to Goren, but she had her own considerations.
These mana bombs had been made after she spent every last coin saved from building her magic workshop, buying the materials herself.
If Goren successfully sold them, the bombs might catch the attention of wealthy individuals. Through that connection, she could reach moneyed nobles who also had constant demand for this sort of thing.
That would give her more opportunities to earn serious money.
She didn’t want to keep exhausting herself doing odd jobs at the Adventurers’ Guild every day.
Growing stronger required money. How could anyone become powerful without money?
In short, Via wanted money. Lots of money!
“Boss Goren, can you sell them?”
“Of course I can! Absolutely!”
Goren nodded repeatedly.
Selling these certainly carried risk.
But the underground black market thrived on risk. The higher the risk, the greater the value of things you couldn’t find on the regular market!
“How much can you offer?” Via asked.
“I’ll need to appraise them carefully for an exact figure, but roughly… I’d say 1 gold coin each.”
“1 gold coin?”
“Is that acceptable?”
“Yes.”
Via was secretly surprised.
The cost had been close to 30 silver coins per bomb, and selling them for 1 gold coin (100 silver) meant a full triple profit.
Insane profit. Absolutely obscene profit.
No wonder the Saint Luo Empire tightly controlled disposable weapons like these. The money to be made was astronomical. Of course they wanted to keep it all in their own hands.
“Mr. W, once these mana bombs sell successfully, if the buyer wants more in the future, or wants to know your name, or even meet you in person… may I pass on the information?” Goren probed cautiously.
“You can give them my name. Whether I agree to meet is up to me.”
“Perfect. One last question: if I need to transfer payment, which bank account should I send it to?”
“This…”
Via realized a problem.
She absolutely could not have this black money deposited into her official bank account. If the Holy Land found out, it would be impossible to explain.
She would need a completely private, secret account. Otherwise large transactions in the future would be extremely inconvenient.
“For now, just give me cash. I need cash right now.”
“No problem.” Goren agreed immediately.
…
“30 silver in materials, sold for 1 gold coin (100 silver). Goren takes 20% as middleman fee for providing a safe sales channel, so my profit is 50 silver per bomb.”
Via had already left the underground black market and removed her black robe and mask.
She carefully calculated today’s earnings. It far exceeded her expectations.
Still, crafting mana bombs consumed quite a lot of mana. Most ordinary mages would collapse after making a few.
Fortunately, she could amplify her mana with abyssal aura. Even though it drained her considerably, she could endure it. She just treated it as extra training.
“The simple magic workshop set up in the dorm will do for now. Once I earn more money, I’ll buy a house nearby and upgrade to a proper large workshop. There are things I want to make that simply can’t be done in a dorm room.”
The pink-haired girl was steadily advancing her plans.
Suddenly, she noticed a calendar hanging in a shop window and stopped when she saw the date.
An important day was almost here.
“My… and Sophie’s birthday.”
In her previous life as the Demon King, Via had never celebrated anyone else’s birthday. Others used birthdays as an excuse to shower her with gifts and curry favor.
Did she need to celebrate someone’s birthday in this life?
Sophie’s face surfaced in her mind.
“A birthday, huh? Fine, I’ll prepare a gift.”
Via smiled faintly.
She figured that a naive young human girl like Sophie would be incredibly easy to please.
Just a small gift would probably move her to tears.
After all, foolish humans were so easily swayed by these meaningless gestures, letting their weak emotions cloud their judgment.
“I’ll think about what Sophie might like when I have time.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.